Over-the-air programming (OTA programming) refers to various methods of distributing new

software Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consists ...

, configuration settings, and even updating encryption keys to devices like

mobile phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...

set-top box A set-top box (STB), also colloquially known as a cable box and historically television decoder, is an information appliance device that generally contains a TV-tuner input and displays output to a television set and an external source of sign ...

es,

electric car An electric car, battery electric car, or all-electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using only energy stored in batteries. Compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, electric cars are quie ...

s or

secure voice Secure voice (alternatively secure speech or ciphony) is a term in cryptography for the encryption of voice communication over a range of communication types such as radio, telephone or IP. History The implementation of voice encryption date ...

communication equipment (encrypted two-way radios). One important feature of OTA is that one central location can send an update to all the users, who are unable to refuse, defeat, or alter that update, and that the update applies immediately to everyone on the channel. A user could 'refuse' OTA, but the 'channel manager' could also 'kick them off' the channel automatically. In the context of the

mobile content Mobile content is any type of web hypertext and information content and electronic media which is viewed or used on mobile phones, like text, sound, ringtones, graphics, flash, discount offers, mobile games, movies, and GPS navigation. As mobile ph ...

world, these include firmware-over-the-air (FOTA), over-the-air service provisioning (OTASP), over-the-air provisioning (OTAP), or over-the-air parameter administration (OTAPA); or provisioning handsets with the necessary settings with which to access services such as

wireless access point In computer networking, a wireless access point (WAP), or more generally just access point (AP), is a networking hardware device that allows other Wi-Fi devices to connect to a wired network. As a standalone device, the AP may have a wired co ...

(WAP) or

Multimedia Messaging Service Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is a standard way to send messages that include multimedia content to and from a mobile phone over a cellular network. Users and providers may refer to such a message as a PXT, a picture message, or a multimedia ...

(MMS). As mobile phones accumulate new applications and become more advanced, OTA configuration has become increasingly important as new updates and services come on stream. OTA via

Short Message Service Short Message/Messaging Service, commonly abbreviated as SMS, is a text messaging service component of most telephone, Internet and mobile device systems. It uses standardized communication protocols that let mobile devices exchange short text ...

(SMS) optimises the configuration data updates in

subscriber identity module A typical SIM card (mini-SIM with micro-SIM cutout) A GSM mobile phone file:Simkarte NFC SecureElement.jpg, T-Mobile nano-SIM card with NFC capabilities in the SIM tray of an iPhone 6s file:Tf sim both sides.png, A TracFone Wireless SIM card ha ...

(SIM) cards and handsets, and enables the distribution of new software updates to mobile phones or provisioning handsets with the necessary settings with which to access services such as WAP or MMS. OTA messaging provides remote control of mobile phones for service and subscription activation, personalisation, and programming of a new service for mobile operators and telco third parties. Various standardisation bodies were established to help develop, oversee, and manage OTA. One of them is the

Open Mobile Alliance OMA SpecWorks, previously the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) is a standards organization which develops open, international technical standards for the mobile phone industry. It is a nonprofit Non-governmental organization (NGO), not a formal governme ...

(OMA). More recently, with the new concepts of

Wireless Sensor Networks Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) refer to networks of spatially dispersed and dedicated sensors that monitor and record the physical conditions of the environment and forward the collected data to a central location. WSNs can measure environmental c ...

and the

Internet of Things The Internet of things (IoT) describes physical objects (or groups of such objects) with sensors, processing ability, software and other technologies that connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet or other comm ...

(IoT), where the networks consist of hundreds or thousands of nodes, OTA is taken to a new direction: for the first time OTA is applied using unlicensed frequency bands (868 MHz, 900 MHz, 2400 MHz) and with low consumption and low data rate transmission using protocols such as 802.15.4 and

ZigBee Zigbee is an IEEE 802.15.4-based specification for a suite of high-level communication protocols used to create personal area networks with small, low-power digital radios, such as for home automation, medical device data collection, and othe ...

Sensor node A sensor node, also known as a mote (chiefly in North America), is a node in a sensor network that is capable of performing some processing, gathering sensory information and communicating with other connected nodes in the network. A mote is a no ...

s are often located in places that are either remote or difficult to access. As an example, Libelium has implemented an OTA programming system for

WSN devices. This system enables

firmware In computing, firmware is a specific class of computer software that provides the low-level control for a device's specific hardware. Firmware, such as the BIOS of a personal computer, may contain basic functions of a device, and may provide h ...

upgrades without the need of physical access, saving time and money if the nodes must be re-programmed.

Smartphones

On modern

mobile device A mobile device (or handheld computer) is a computer small enough to hold and operate in the hand. Mobile devices typically have a flat LCD or OLED screen, a touchscreen interface, and digital or physical buttons. They may also have a physical ...

s such as

smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...

s, an over-the-air update may refer simply to a firmware or OS update that is downloaded by the operating system over the

internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

, with the "over-the-air" aspect referring to the updates being downloaded directly to the phone using

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wave ...

or mobile broadband, rather than requiring that the device be connected to a computer over

USB Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard that establishes specifications for cables, connectors and protocols for connection, communication and power supply (interfacing) between computers, peripherals and other computers. A broad ...

to perform the update.

Mechanism

The OTA mechanism requires the existing software and hardware of the target device to support the feature, namely the receipt and installation of new software received via the

wireless Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the transfer of information between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided medium for the transfer. The most ...

network from the provider. New software is transferred to the phone, installed, and put into use. It is often necessary to turn the phone off and back on for the new programming to take effect, though many phones will automatically perform this action.

Methods

Depending on implementation, OTA software delivery can be initiated upon action, such as a call to the provider's customer support system or other dial-able service, or can be performed automatically. Typically, it is done via the former method to avoid service disruption at an inconvenient time, but this requires subscribers to manually call the provider. Often, a carrier will send a broadcast

SMS Short Message/Messaging Service, commonly abbreviated as SMS, is a text messaging service component of most telephone, Internet and mobile device systems. It uses standardized communication protocols that let mobile devices exchange short text ...

text message to all subscribers (or those using a particular model of phone) asking them to dial a service number to receive a software update.

Verizon Wireless Verizon is an American wireless network operator that previously operated as a separate division of Verizon Communications under the name Verizon Wireless. In a 2019 reorganization, Verizon moved the wireless products and services into the divi ...

in the United States provides a number of OTA functions to its subscribers via the *228

USSD Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), sometimes referred to as "quick codes" or "feature codes", is a communications protocol used by GSM cellular telephones to communicate with the mobile network operator's computers. USSD can be used ...

service code. Option 1 updates phone configuration, option 2 updates the PRL. Similarly Voitel Wireless and StraightTalk, which both use Verizon network, use 22890 service code to program Verizon based wireless phones. To provision parameters in a mobile device OTA, the device needs to have a provisioning client capable of receiving, processing and setting the parameters. For example, a Device Management client in a device may be capable of receiving and provisioning applications, or connectivity parameters. In general, the term OTA implies the use of wireless mechanisms to send provisioning data or update packages for firmware or software updates to a mobile device; this is so that the user does not have to go to a store or a service centre to have applications provisioned, parameters changed, or firmware or software updated. In this context, also two major types of OTA updates can be distinguished, namely OTA updates for product enhancement (e.g., customized product functions and services) and OTA updates for product optimization (e.g., repair or version updates). Non-OTA options for a user are: a) to go to a store and seek help, b) use a PC and a cable to connect to the device and change settings on a device, add software to device, etc.

OTA standards

There are a number of standards that describe OTA functions. One of the first was the GSM 03.48 series. The ZigBee suite of standards includes the ZigBee Over-the-Air Upgrading Cluster which is part of the ZigBee Smart Energy Profile and provides an interoperable (vendor-independent) way of updating device firmware. The current standards do not cover harvesting of client information which is routinely done by the phone manufacturer, the service provider and the program manager (Google). No restrictions have been developed for these illegal activities.

Similarities

OTA is similar to firmware distribution methods used by other mass-produced

consumer electronics Consumer electronics or home electronics are electronic (analog or digital) equipment intended for everyday use, typically in private homes. Consumer electronics include devices used for entertainment, communications and recreation. Usually r ...

, such as

cable modem A cable modem is a type of network bridge that provides bi-directional data communication via radio frequency channels on a hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC), radio frequency over glass (RFoG) and coaxial cable infrastructure. Cable modems are primaril ...

s, which use

TFTP Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) is a simple lockstep File Transfer Protocol which allows a client to get a file from or put a file onto a remote host. One of its primary uses is in the early stages of nodes booting from a local area netwo ...

as a way to remotely receive new programming, thus reducing the amount of time spent by both the owner and the user of the device on maintenance. Over-the-air provisioning (OTAP) is also available in wireless environments (though it is disabled by default for security reasons). It allows an access point (AP) to discover the

IP address An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label such as that is connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.. Updated by . An IP address serves two main functions: network interface ident ...

of its controller. When enabled, the controller tells the other APs to include additional information in the Radio Resource Management Packets (RRM) that would assist a new access point in learning of the controller. It is sent in plain text however, which would make it vulnerable to sniffing. That is why it is disabled by default.

References